


The Dreams That We Seek

by mrpicard



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Mirror Universe, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gore, M/M, Mirror Universe, Slash, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-29
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-17 10:52:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 6,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1384897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpicard/pseuds/mrpicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Terran Empire faces something that it has never faced before: A threat from within.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_These are the days of evil perfection._   
_This is the world of torture and fame._   
_This is the age of most vicious infection._   
_These are the times of terror and pain._   
_(Alphaville, 'Ascension Day')_

  
  
  
In the year 2267, a transporter accident of the most extraordinary nature took place - it was, in fact, so extraordinary that it became one of the central moments of Terran history.  
  
What made this incident so special was that it caused an unprecedented exchange: It placed four outsiders from another universe in this one - and the very same four people from ours in theirs.  
  
The situation was eventually corrected - but the damage had been done: Someone from that other universe had managed to convince a formerly loyal Vulcan first officer named Spock that his only logical course of action was to eliminate his captain, the great James Tiberius Kirk. After that he was to assume command of Kirk's ship and then to slowly begin changing the fundamental ways of the Terran Empire by preaching 'reforms'.  
  
The mission Spock had been talked into succeeded and he eliminated Captain Kirk and assumed command, just as he had been told to. He rose to the position of Commander in Chief of the Empire and implemented his 'reforms'. This, however, weakened the Terran Empire so fundamentally that it fell prey to its biggest enemies: The Klingons and the Cardassians. Every single Terran was hunted down and either murdered or enslaved. Spock, driven by misguided ideas of peace and benevolence, had created a living hell.  
  
Fortunately, every situation has at least _two_ possible outcomes.  
  
In a second outcome, Spock did _not_ succeed - Captain Kirk discovered his plans before he could act on them and had him executed. Kirk remained in command of the mightiest ship of all, the **Enterprise** , and the Terran Empire prospered and expanded, adding dozens of worlds until almost the entire Alpha Quadrant along with the former Romulan Empire belonged to its vast structure.  
  
This second universe is the one on which we shall focus - after all, there is no greater pleasure for us Terrans than to read about the glory and the wisdom of those who make sure that our great Empire remains the most powerful Empire that has ever existed and will continue to do so for many generations to come.


	2. Chapter 2

The young ensign was more than just terrified. He was breathing rapidly, his eyes were wide open and sweat was pouring down his face while he tried once more to struggle against the iron grip of the two guards who were holding him and dragging him along with them.  
  
"Please - let me go! I haven't done anything wrong! I'm innocent!" he pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation.  
  
He knew that the guards most likely weren't even listening anymore - they had performed this particular procedure dozens of times on other poor souls who had either committed treacherous acts or had simply not matched the **Enterprise** 's insanely high efficiency standards.  
  
And yet he could not think of any reason why _he_ was being dragged to the captain's ready room right now - except for one.  
  
 _'Impossible! He **can't** know! There's **no** way he could have learned about it!'_  
  
His thoughts came to an abrupt end when he realized that the guards had arrived at their destination. The dark red door with the golden emblem of the Terran Empire slid open, the guards dragged him through with them and then let go of him. His weak knees gave way under him and he fell face down on the floor.  
  
He cursed his own weakness and struggled to stand up as quickly as possible - it was _never_ wise to face the captain like this. He finally managed to get up and get his legs under control - partially, at least: His knees were still trembling.  
  
Only then did he dare look up.  
  
The captain was sitting in his large chair behind his wooden desk, watching him calmly, his face with the long scar on the right cheek an emotionless mask.  
  
"Captain! Sir! I didn't do anything!" the ensign suddenly croaked - the next unwise thing to do, of course, but he was no longer able to hold himself together; the mere thought of what was most likely going to happen filled him with nothing but utter terror. "This must be some kind of mistake! I've always been a good and loyal officer!"  
  
Captain Jean-Luc Picard slowly raised his hand and began to stroke his goatee.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Sir...?" the ensign pleaded, tears forming in his eyes - an outburst of anger on Picard's part he would have been able to cope with in some way, but the silence that kept hanging in the small room amplified his fear by a factor of about a million.  
  
Picard slowly stood up from his chair, walked around his desk and then finally spoke. "Ensign... you've been on this ship for how long?"  
  
The young man wiped away the tears, relieved that Picard had decided to talk to him after all. "Three years, sir."  
  
Picard shook his head. "Regrettable."  
  
The ensign's heart sank. "Sir? What do you mean? What have I _done_?!"  
  
Picard's gaze was as calm as ever when he looked at the young officer. "The fact that you even ask this question proves your guilt."  
  
"What?!" the ensign croaked.  
  
' _He knows! But how?!_ '  
  
Picard slowly turned away, walked over to the large portable fish tank in the corner, took it and carried it to his desk where he put it down gently.   
  
The ensign felt an invisible hand closing around his throat when he realized just _what_ his captain was about to do. "No! Sir! Please! Not _him_! Please! No! I'll do anything!"  
  
Picard turned around, looked at the guards and nodded briefly. The ensign was suddenly grabbed by his arms from behind and then pulled towards the desk and the dark fish tank.  
  
"Sir! No!"  
  
Picard walked around his desk and sat down again while one of the guards grabbed the ensign's upper body and left arm, making sure the young man could move neither. The other guard closed his huge hand around the ensign's right wrist.  
  
"At least tell me what I've done!" the ensign shrieked in terror. "Please! Sir!"  
  
Picard simply looked at the fish tank and waved his right hand.  
  
The guard who was holding the ensign's right wrist pulled out a dagger and slashed open the palm of the ensign's hand.  
  
The pain was quite intense - but the ensign knew that, compared to the pain that was about to come, the one he was experiencing at the moment was nothing.  
  
The guard shook the ensign's wounded hand and blood dropped down and into the fish tank. Suddenly there was movement under the dark water's surface: An even darker shadow was rising from the depths.  
  
"Do it," Picard said calmly, his eyes still fixed on the fish tank.  
  
The ensign screamed when the guard pushed his wounded hand into the water and the dark shadow that had by now turned into a large hungry pet piranha named Livingston closed in fast.  
  
"Sir, no! I'll confess! I'll confess everything! I'll tell you anything you want to know about our rebel movement, but please, not my hand, please, sir, no!" the ensign cried, tears streaming down his face.  
  
Picard finally looked up from the fish tank but the ensign was too busy with screaming in agony as Livingston began to rip his teeth into the wounded flesh of his hand to notice the complete and utter surprise on his captain's face.  
  
Rebel movement?  
  
What rebel movement?


	3. Chapter 3

"Our friend was somewhat cooperative right from the start," the young man in black said and put his PADD down on the table in front of him. "Still, half of his right hand had been eaten off. The pain distracted him from time to time and made my interrogation a bit more complicated than usual."  
  
"Oh get on with it already, Alexander," the blonde woman sitting across the table snapped.  
  
"Shut up, Yar," the young man shot back. "If _you_ finally started doing your job as chief of security there would be no need for an interrogator like me on this ship."  
  
"Stop it - both of you!" Picard barked. "Continue with your report, Alexander. I want to know what that young fool was talking about when he mentioned a rebel movement."  
  
"Fine." Alexander glared once more at Yar and then took a deep breath - no one around him would like what he had to say. "There is indeed a secret rebel movement. Our prisoner was absolutely clear on that one."  
  
"Who's behind it?" the young doctor sitting next to Yar asked. "The Klingons? The Romulans? The Cardassians?"  
  
"None of them have either the intelligence _or_ the resources for something like this," Alexander replied.  
  
"The Vulcans, then?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, Bashir!" Yar snapped. "There are almost no Vulcans _left_!"  
  
"Agreed. For _once_." Alexander ran his hand through his short brown hair. "I'm afraid we're dealing with Terrans here."  
  
"What?!" Picard exclaimed. "Are you certain?"  
  
Alexander glared at him. "Have I ever _not_ been certain after one of my interrogations?"  
  
"It simply seems _highly unlikely_ that _any_ Terran would want to form a rebellion against their own empire," Picard replied coldly.   
  
"I find it insanely hard to believe as well, don't worry." Alexander leaned back. "But it _is_ what our lovely young ensign said."  
  
"Did he reveal anything else?" the android next to Alexander asked impatiently. "What we've heard so far is hardly helpful."  
  
"As a matter of fact, he did. After his insane speech of how Terrans deserve to be 'free' and how we should be peaceful explorers instead of 'butchering conquerors', that is." Alexander picked up his PADD and switched it on. "After a few more... _questions_ , he provided me with the location of their rebel base. And with another piece of information that will interest _you_ in particular, Commander Lore."  
  
The android glared at him. "Come on, spit it out. You're enjoying this far too much for my liking."  
  
"He told me that your brother, Data, is involved, too."  
  
The android's purple eyes went wide. "What? I thought he was disassembled by Professor Soong years ago!"  
  
"That's what we _all_ thought," Alexander replied. "It seems someone got their hands on him and put him back together."  
  
"Is he the one behind all this?" Picard asked.  
  
"I don't think so." Alexander switched off his PADD and put it back on the table. "There's someone else pulling the strings. However, our dear ensign didn't know that person's name."  
  
"Are you _sure_?" Bashir quipped.  
  
"I don't think _you_ are in _any_ position to question the results of _my_ interrogation," Alexander snapped. "Besides -"  
  
"Anything else?" Picard interrupted.  
  
Alexander looked at him. "Unfortunately, no. The movement seems to be fairly new, so, I would suggest that, _if_ we want to crush them, now would be the perfect time to do it."  
  
"He's right. I've heard enough," Lore agreed. "I won't stand by and watch my brother supporting misguided Terran rebels."  
  
"Indeed, you won't," Picard said. "However, I don't think we should dispose of them without questioning them before doing so. We need to find out more about them first." He looked around. "We need an undercover operative."  
  
"How are we supposed to do that? The entire Terran Empire knows our faces," Yar chimed in.  
  
"That is _exactly_ what I'm counting on." Picard looked at Lore. " _You_ will go - alone. Make sure no one detects your arrival. Find your brother and deactivate him once and for all. Assume his identity and gather information. When you have found out enough, contact me for further instructions." He looked at the only person sitting at the table who had remained completely silent. "I haven't heard anything from _you_ , Commander."  
  
The hairless man looked up, his Borg eye implants whirring as he focused his gaze on his captain. "It makes no difference what _I_ think. You'll go ahead with your plan anyway. I wonder why you even bother with a first officer."  
  
"Ordinarily, a first officer is the one who suggests a different course of action. _And_ the only one who can get away with it," Picard replied icily.  
  
The man laughed. "For what it's worth, I think your plan lacks... _imagination_."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Yes. I doubt you'll solve the problem that way. All you will accomplish is creating a huge group of martyrs in the end."  
  
"Then what do _you_ suggest we do, _Commander_ Riker?" Picard spat.  
  
"I'd wait and see what happens. Let _them_ come to _us_ instead of _us_ going to _them_. Learn about their weaknesses _that_ way."  
  
"And allow them to come dangerously close in the process," Alexander retorted. "What a _brilliant_ plan!"  
  
"Thank you for your _valuable_ input, Commander." Picard's voice was dripping with sarcasm.  
  
Riker smiled coldly. "You're welcome." He paused. " _Sir._ "  
  
Picard glared once more at him before he addressed the rest of the officers. "We will go ahead with my plan. You're all dismissed." He looked at Alexander. "All except _you_ , that is."   
  
The young man sat back down while the officers left the room, relieved that it was not them who had been ordered to stay.  
  
Picard waited for the door to close behind them before he spoke. "What was _that_?"  
  
"What was what?"  
  
"You questioned my authority when you said that the ensign was distracted by the pain in his hand. You implied that you could have had the answers sooner if I had not decided to allow Livingston a little extra meal." He glared at the young man. " _Must_ I _really_ remind you that we would not have learned about the rebels in the first place if I had not decided to conduct a random little investigation on a random crew member in order to keep efficiency from dropping below standards? We were lucky that he thought we already knew about his secret!"  
  
"I know. Sorry." Alexander sighed and stood up. "Is that all? I really need to go and change. His blood is all over my pants and it's beginning to smell."  
  
Picard stood up as well and grabbed Alexander's wrists, as always feeling the thick scars that ran all over the young man's hands. " _Stop_ acting like this," he hissed. "You're bordering on insubordination. _I_ hold the highest authority aboard this ship. Do not _ever_ forget that. _I_ am in charge."  
  
Alexander did not flinch despite the painful grip in which Picard was holding his wrists. "I know. _Captain_."  
  
Picard's glare turned into a nasty grin. "I'm glad we understand one another so well."  
  
Alexander grinned back. "As am I, Jean-Luc."  
  
"I should _kill_ you right here for calling me by my first name while I'm on duty."  
  
"Then why don't you?"  
  
"You know as well as I do why not."  
  
"Yes. Because you _need_ me."  
  
Picard pulled the young man closer until their faces were only inches apart. "Don't get too bold just because we share a bed from time to time," he hissed. "I can _easily_ find someone else for that."  
  
"You already have. Or do you think I don't know about you and Bashir? You've always had a thing for younger men who are willing to give you what _I_ can't: Total submission."  
  
"I expected you to find out sooner or later."  
  
"I'm thrilled that you trust my efficiency in this regard," Alexander said.  
  
"I trust it in _all_ regards."  
  
They grinned at each other once again.


	4. Chapter 4

  
The man was sitting alone in his quarters, his eyes fixed on the black screen of the small console in front of him, his sweaty hands trembling.  
  
He had to call them and tell them that Commander Lore was on his way.  
  
He had to.  
  
And yet he could not do it.  
  
The risk of someone noticing him sending a message was too great - his primary mission had the highest priority. It would be difficult to accomplish without Ensign Calloway and his expertise, but not impossible.  
  
Still...  
  
Those people were his friends - he could not let them walk into the trap without a warning, now could he?  
  
He closed his eyes for a few seconds and felt an almost insane urge to simply reach out his hand and open a secured channel. A few seconds would do it, two simple words, a coded message that would tell them they had to leave immediately or there would be no freedom, only death.  
  
And yet he could not do it.


	5. Chapter 5

"And this, sir, is what I've been working on in the past few weeks." Geordi LaForge pointed at a rather small, silver-colored box that had been attached to the warp core.  
  
"What is it?" Picard asked, barely able to hide his impatience - he had better things to do than to listen to an engineer rambling on about his latest gadget; as far as he was concerned, this part of the ship was LaForge's responsibility, not his.  
  
"It's a subspace modification device," LaForge explained, his dark eyes sparkling in the semi-darkness of the engine room. "It will enable us to fold subspace in a way that has never been done before."  
  
"Fold subspace?" Picard echoed. "But that's impossible!"  
  
"No, not anymore. This little gem will change the laws of physics, despite the claim of its inventor that one cannot do that."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
LaForge leaned against the railing. "I can't take the entire credit for it - its basic design was developed by the legendary Montgomery Scott. He just didn't have the technological means to make it work back then."  
  
"And _we_ do?"  
  
"Yes, sir. If I can get it to work, we will be able to travel from one point of the galaxy to another in seconds instead of days." LaForge grinned. "This will enable us to... _visit_ a lot more worlds."  
  
"If it works," Picard growled. "I only trust things that work. And I suggest you make it work before you start telling me where it can take us."  
  
LaForge's grin vanished - he knew he should have expected Picard's reaction, but he still had been hoping for a bit more enthusiasm on the captain's part. "I'll tell you when I'm ready for the first test, sir."  
  
"Good." Picard turned around and marched out of engineering without looking back.  
  
LaForge glared at the door. "Sure, never mind my accomplishments," he muttered. " _No_ one ever does..."


	6. Chapter 6

Commander Lore glanced at the tiny recording device in his pale hands in order to see if it really was deactivated before he put it back under the skin of his right arm. He had to make sure nothing happened to it - it contained basically all the information that he had gathered during the rather annoying delay he had been forced to endure when he had realized that it was nearly impossible to find either his brother or his quarters because Data had set up a dampening field around himself. This was a rather wise precaution, one that Lore had taken himself as well - after all, positronic signals were rather easy to detect.  
  
The delay had forced him to hide in the shadows until he had finally managed to reconfigure his tricorder into registering his brother's positronic signal despite the dampening field. He had followed the signal immediately, had found his brother and, more importantly, his quarters. He had then waited a short while in order to find the right moment to break in and wait for Data to come back, hopefully unprepared and unarmed - the last thing Lore wanted right now was an intruder alert although he doubted that the old abandoned asteroid base on which he was even had such a thing.  
  
Suddenly there were steps outside and then the door opened and Data stepped in.  
  
Lore remained motionless in the shadow of the rather large closet in which he was standing - he knew that his brother's hearing was as good as his own and that Data would detect him the moment he moved.  
  
Data, however, did not even look around. He walked straight up to the bed in the far corner and it took Lore a few seconds to realize just why: There was someone in the bed.  
  
Lore cursed himself for not being more thorough when he had broken in - it had not occurred to him that Data might not live alone, which was why he had only scanned for positronic life signs instead of _organic_ ones as well.  
  
Data slowly pulled the thin blanket back a bit and looked at the person underneath it: A sleeping woman with long red hair.  
  
Lore had only a few seconds to decide what to do next; vanish or attack? The woman would complicate matters if she saw him, but still, why not risk it? It would not help her if she saw him, she was doomed anyway - and besides, at this point she served as the distraction Lore needed.  
  
He left the shadow of the closet and slowly stepped closer until he was standing right behind his brother, who still didn't notice him because he was gently stroking the sleeping woman's forehead.  
  
"I am sorry I cannot provide you with a more appropriate environment, Beverly," he said softly.  
  
Lore rolled his eyes - and then reached out his hand with one insanely quick move. Before Data had even realized what was happening, his body went limp and Lore caught him before he could hit the bed.  
  
He slowly dropped his brother's deactivated body to the floor and began to remove his clothes in a slow but efficient manner. Then he took off his own clothes, put on Data's and switched the contents of their respective pockets. Then he threw his clothes on Data's body, pulled out his modified Varon-T disruptor, pointed it at his brother and the clothes and fired.  
  
Everything disintegrated immediately, leaving no trace of any kind.  
  
The sound of the disruptor stirred the woman back to life. Lore had anticipated this and before she could say or do anything, he had covered her mouth and nose with his huge hand. She opened her eyes and stared at him in utter astonishment and disbelief as he pressed his hand even harder on her face - to her it looked like as if her lover had suddenly switched sides.  
  
She raised her hands in an utterly vain attempt to fight him off, but it did not look very serious; she knew it was quite pointless for her to even try to fight an android who possessed the strength of ten men.  
  
After a few more seconds, her arms went limp and she wriggled on the bed in utter desperation, trying to breathe, but Lore's grip was firm and relentless.  
  
It did not take long for her to stop struggling altogether and Lore could only hope that no one would miss her for a while.


	7. Chapter 7

"Still no answer to your messages from Lore?" Alexander asked and sat down next to his lover on the bed.  
  
The captain glanced up from his PADD that he had been reading. "No."  
  
"Think something went wrong?"  
  
"If so, we would have heard about it."  
  
"I'm not sure. We didn't hear anything about the rebels themselves either. They seem to actually be able to keep things a secret."  
  
"They _have_ to, considering what's at stake for them," Picard replied grumpily.  
  
"They will be put to justice anyway sooner or later."  
  
"Yes, but I don't want them to spread their insane ideas throughout the entire Empire before that. The last thing I want is more insubordinate Terrans. I have enough aboard this ship, after all."  
  
Alexander grinned nastily and put his hand on Picard's naked thigh.  
  
Picard glared at him. "What is this?"  
  
"I want to put your mind off things."  
  
The captain looked back at his PADD. "I'm not in the mood."  
  
Alexander began to stroke his lover's growing erection through the thin fabric of his briefs. " _You_? Not in the mood? Impossible."  
  
Picard dropped the PADD and grabbed the younger man by the throat. "I _said_ I'm _not_ in the mood," he hissed.  
  
Alexander grinned despite the fact that he could hardly breathe and squeezed Picard's now fully grown erection.  
  
"Stop grinning," Picard snapped.  
  
Alexander grinned even broader although his vision was already slowly blurring from the lack of oxygen - and moved his hand once more over the soft fabric and the hard cock beneath it.  
  
"If you insist..." Picard let go of the young man's throat. "Get on with it already."  
  
Alexander quickly bent over, pulled Picard's briefs down and closed his mouth around the thick erection, his tongue immediately teasing the salty tip.  
  
Picard grabbed his hair and roughly shoved him down further - he had no patience whatsoever and Alexander knew it was better to cooperate, at least for now.  
  
It did not take long for the captain to come. His cum squirted into Alexander's mouth and the young man quickly swallowed it - he knew how much Picard hated drops of semen on his bed sheets.  
  
In that moment, the comm system chirped. " _Bridge to Captain Picard._ "  
  
"Yes, what is it?" Picard barked, his voice cold and calm as always.  
  
" _There is an alpha priority message coming in. Captain's eyes only._ "  
  
"Put it through and make sure the channel is secure."  
  
" _Yes, sir._ "  
  
Picard shoved Alexander away, stood up, put on new briefs, walked over to his desk, sat down in front of the console and activated it.  
  
" _Attention: This is an alpha priority message. Authorization code plus voice identification required,_ " the computer announced.  
  
"Code 477, Alpha-Nine. Voice identification: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, **I.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E**."  
  
" _Verified. Stand by._ "  
  
The screen flickered briefly and then Commander Lore's face appeared on it. " _Captain, I'm sorry about the delay. There were a few... complications. I have an important message for you, one that requires your immediate attention: I have found out that the rebels have ANOTHER operative aboard the **Enterprise**. I don't know who it is, but I CAN tell you with one hundred percent certainty that it has to be a member of the senior staff. As for everything else - I have gathered all the information that was to gather. I also received your orders about capturing the leader of the rebels - I'm prepared to do that as soon as you are ready to attack. I await further instructions._ "  
  
The screen went dark and Picard stared at it for a long time before he raised his head and looked at Alexander. "So... we have _another_ spy on board."  
  
The young man stood up from the bed. "Seems that way, yes. A senior staff officer. That one at least limits the list of possible suspects. Still, it leaves us with Yar, LaForge, Bashir or Riker."  
  
Picard crossed his legs. "Bashir is too young and inexperienced for something of such a magnitude. LaForge wouldn't notice a rebellion if it was right outside the doors of engineering. Yar is too smart - she knows who to thank for what and where she is today after that disaster on Turkana IV." He scowled. "Riker, on the other hand... _he_ has been bordering on insubordination ever since the incident with the Borg."  
  
Alexander shrugged. "Well, they _did_ try to assimilate him and replaced his eyes, and he blames the Empire for that. "  
  
"It was his _own_ fault!" Picard spat. "If he had destroyed that Borg Cube when he had the chance to do so instead of actually trying to _reason_ with the Borg into giving up, none of this would have happened. I never should have left him in command of my ship."  
  
"You were called away by Imperial Command on urgent matters."  
  
"I could have refused to come."  
  
"That would have been unwise."  
  
"True." Picard stood up as well and walked up to Alexander. "The Empire made it a point to punish Riker properly by removing all his rights of ever becoming a captain - but what protects _me_ from his ambition might not protect the _Empire_ in the long run. And he _did_ disagree with my plans about the rebels." He stroked his goatee. "I don't trust him. I never have."  
  
"So, what now?"  
  
Picard grinned at his young lover. "I think _now_ we need an interrogator."


	8. Chapter 8

" _Imperial Log, supplemental. We have arrived in orbit around the old asteroid base in which the rebels are hiding. The Enterprise is cloaked and so far there have been no indications that the rebels are aware of our presence. We are waiting for one final message from Commander Lore, who is under my personal orders to secure the leader of the rebels for an immediate beam-out. As for our other problem - our interrogator is dealing with it right at this moment._ "  
  
  
"So, you maintain that you are not involved with these rebels in any way?"  
  
Riker looked at the young interrogator in front of the agony booth and made a conscious effort not to move - he did not want to give Alexander any kind of personal satisfaction.  
  
"I do - because it's the truth," he replied, his voice calm and steady despite the intense pain in which his entire body seemed to be.  
  
"Pity." Alexander pushed a button on the control panel next to him.  
  
Even more intense pain bolted through Riker's body - this time he actually heard himself screaming and felt the wetness of tears that were streaming down his face.  
  
' _At least the Borg LEFT me with the ability to cry._ '  
  
This particular thought offered an escape from the pain, something else to focus on and he clung to it, fully aware of the fact that he needed something like this to survive the agony booth and this young bastard's interrogation. That was easier said than done, however - Alexander was the best interrogator in the entire Imperial Fleet. He was incapable of mercy, relentless and extremely sadistic. It figured that he and Picard got along so well and -  
  
The new pain suddenly stopped.  
  
"Are you still certain that you know nothing?" Alexander asked calmly.  
  
"I am," Riker snarled through clenched teeth. "I'm an Imperial Officer. Not a dirty rebel spy."  
  
"I wish I could believe you," Alexander said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But -"  
  
" _Picard to Alexander_."  
  
Alexander frowned and tapped the communicator on his black turtleneck. "Yes, Captain?"  
  
" _Your presence is required in transporter room three._ "  
  
"I'm on my way." He looked back at Riker, whose body had begun to shiver uncontrollably. "Don't go far."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Riker said and spat on the floor of the agony booth. "This place is just so insanely nice."


	9. Chapter 9

Picard was already waiting in the transporter room when Alexander arrived. "How's the interrogation of Commander Riker going?"  
  
"Not very well." Alexander folded his arms across the chest. "I don't think he's the one we're looking for."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
The young interrogator glanced at the nervous transporter chief and the security guards in the corner. "I'll explain later."  
  
"Sir, I have two to beam up," the transporter chief interrupted, his voice shaking with fear.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for?" Picard snapped.  
  
The lieutenant blushed and quickly activated the transporter. A few seconds later two figures materialized - one was Commander Lore in a rather hideous-looking outfit and the other an older man who looked more than just surprised.  
  
He was not he only one, however.  
  
" _Robert_?!" Picard exclaimed.  
  
The man looked at the captain. "Jean-Luc. I should've known it would be you who'd find us."  
  
"You are the leader of these rebels? My own brother?!"  
  
Robert scowled. "You and I have never been brothers. You know that as well as I do."  
  
"That is because you were always the one who wouldn't listen to anything Father told us."  
  
"He was as misguided as you are," Robert spat. "He was a dictator in his own home who put the Empire before everything else - even his own son!"  
  
"Father disowned you because you were a treacherous fool who never followed even _one_ single rule he set up!" Picard thundered, his fury taking over. "And now look what you've done - you've condemned yourself and your misguided rebel puppets to death!"  
  
"Don't worry. We are prepared to die for our cause," Robert said flatly.  
  
Picard turned towards the security guards in the corner. "Take him to the agony booth section. Make sure there's a visual of what we're going to do." He glanced at Alexander. "And you'll make sure he watches. And now get out - all except you, Commander."  
  
The security guards quickly walked up to Robert, grabbed him by the arms and carried him out. Alexander followed them, as did the transporter chief.  
  
Picard waited until the door had closed behind them before he turned to Lore. "Why didn't you tell me anything about Robert being their leader? Did you think it would be amusing to put me into this situation?"  
  
"No, sir. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure who would be listening to my messages. I encrypted them, of course, but I could not be sure about anything, given what the rebels are really up to and the engineering skills that will be needed in order to do it."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The warp drive experiment that LaForge has been working on - how far has it progressed?"  
  
Picard frowned. "I'm not sure. He talked to me about it but I'm not a scientist and I certainly don't want to waste my time with impossible theories about folding subspace."  
  
"It might be wise to listen to him from now on," Lore replied. "The spy the rebels sent has an important mission - to sabotage that very experiment and destroy the Enterprise by reprogramming the subspace folding mechanism device into collapsing the matter-antimatter containment field."  
  
"So, _that_ 's what they've been after..."  
  
"The destruction of the Enterprise would deliver a severe blow to the Empire," Lore said. "Not to mention the fact that LaForge's experiment would be lost forever because he doesn't tend to share anything with other chief engineers."  
  
"And without the experiment there will be no expansion of the Empire for a long time." Picard stroked his goatee. "You may go, Commander. I will handle this from here. And put on a decent uniform as soon as possible."  
  
"Yes, Captain." The android turned and walked out, whistling as he did so. As far as he was concerned, his mission had been a success on more than just one level.  
  
Picard remained and continued to stroke his goatee, considering his next move.  
  
Should he contact LaForge and tell him to stop his experiment until further notice? No, not a good idea - this would alert the spy and force them to go into hiding until the next opportunity presented itself.  
  
As for the matter of the spy's identity - Picard had already dismissed the possibility of Riker being the one they were looking for. Alexander's first impression had turned out to be correct on dozens of occasions before; a good interrogator could tell if his subject was guilty or not in a matter of minutes.  
  
So, if it wasn't Riker it had to be someone else.  
  
But who?  
  
Picard suddenly realized that it didn't matter who the spy was - what mattered was to _catch_ them.  
  
And he had just had the perfect idea of how he was going to accomplish that.


	10. Chapter 10

The man's hands were trembling again - but then, they had never really stopped doing that ever since Ensign Calloway had been interrogated and then killed.  
  
They had captured Robert.  
  
They would interrogate - no, torture - him and learn of the true mission.  
  
He could not let this happen.  
  
He had to act now.  
  
He stood up, took a deep breath and walked out of his office.  
  
The security guard next to the door glanced at him.  
  
"I have urgent matters to attend to," he said quickly before the man could start asking questions. "Make sure no one gets in here while I'm gone."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
He walked up to the nearest turbolift and stepped inside. "Engineering."


	11. Chapter 11

Picard stepped into the small interrogation room that consisted only of a rather large agony booth and a small control panel in front of it.  
  
"What kept you?" Alexander asked without taking his eyes off the prisoner inside the booth.  
  
"Nothing for _you_ to worry about," Picard replied and walked up to him. "Has everything been prepared?"  
  
"Yes." Alexander pointed at a small computer screen that had been set up inside the booth, right where Robert would be able to see it. And, just in case he decided not to look, they had not only tied up his arms and legs, they had done the same with his head as well - right down to the clamps that kept his eyes open.  
  
Picard tapped his communicator. "Picard to bridge."  
  
" _Bridge here, sir._ "  
  
"Transfer the view screen visual to the screen in Interrogation Room 3."  
  
" _Yes, sir._ "  
  
The screen flickered to life and showed the old asteroid base floating peacefully in space.  
  
Picard turned to the man in the agony booth. " _You_ brought this upon them. _You_ were their leader. They trusted you and believed your misguided ideas about 'freedom'. And now they will die for you."  
  
Robert said nothing although he had not been gagged.  
  
Picard pointed at the screen. "How many of them are there again? About 300?"  
  
"You have killed far more than that," Robert said calmly.  
  
"Yes. But, unlike you are about to do, I killed enemies. Not friends."  
  
"You _have_ no friends!"  
  
Picard smiled coldly. "Exactly." He tapped his communicator again. "Picard to bridge - fire the modified torpedo."  
  
The screen flashed briefly and then a blue torpedo came into visual range, moving toward the asteroid base until it hit it. It tore a large hole into it without actually destroying it - a slow and painful death was the least the rebels deserved.  
  
Picard looked at his brother again. "Is this the freedom you wanted for them?"  
  
Small bodies were being blown into space, some still wriggling - but they all stopped quickly when they lost their rather short battle with the vacuum of space.  
  
"You won't break me," Robert suddenly said, his voice trembling. "You can make watch this, but you won't break me."  
  
"You're right. _I_ won't," Picard agreed, his voice even colder than usual. "But my associate here most certainly will."  
  
In that moment, his communicator vibrated.  
  
' _Something's wrong in engineering._ '  
  
"As for myself - I have other matters to attend to." He looked at Alexander. "When you're done, dispose of him. I don't want to see him alive again."


	12. Chapter 12

The man looked around nervously and stepped over yet another limp body on the floor. He had briefly flooded engineering with anaesthezine gas - his medical expertise had helped on that one - and he hoped he had followed the late ensign Calloway's other precise instructions as well, because if he hadn't... well, better not think of that option.  
  
He started walking towards to the small box on the warp core frame whose lights were flashing cheerfully and thought of its schematics that he had memorized a little while ago. His first task would be to remove the -  
  
"Impressive work."  
  
That voice.  
  
It was _him_.  
  
Picard.  
  
The man froze and stared at the box in utter desperation. There was no chance for him to reach it from his current position - he was still too far away.  
  
It was over.  
  
"I must admit I had no idea just how you were going to do it," Picard said calmly. "Or that it would be you. I didn't think you'd have it in you."  
  
Dr. Julian Bashir slowly turned around and there was the captain, standing with his hands behind his back, calmly as ever, seemingly unarmed, alone - and therefore insanely dangerous.  
  
"You don't understand," Bashir said, his voice surprisingly steady. "We're fighting for a better future - one that won't have people like _you_ in it."  
  
"Stop it, Julian. You're incapable of hurting me with your words. And don't think I'll have even the slightest amount of pity for you just because you were such a willing companion in my bed. I assume that was part of your plan, too - to make me think you're submissive and weak, am I right?"  
  
Bashir bit his lower lip.  
  
"It didn't really work, it seems."  
  
Picard took a deep breath - and then, with just one quick move, he brought his hands from behind his back and threw his large dagger directly at Bashir. It hit the young doctor right in the stomach and he clutched at it in a vain attempt to pull it out before he fell over and collapsed on the floor.


	13. Chapter 13

"He'd have survived a little bit longer if you hadn't nailed that dagger into his stomach. Couldn't you have just hit his shoulder?"  
  
Picard glared at the young man in black in front of his ready room desk. "I hit him _precisely_ where you hit someone who deserves a slow and extremely painful death."  
  
"Yes, but did you consider the implications? I'd have liked to interrogate him a bit more. Riker's quite disappointed as well - he had been hoping for a word with the good doctor, too. It _was_ Bashir's fault that he ended up in that agony booth."  
  
Picard waved his hand. "I'll put him in charge of the next random interrogation. I still don't trust him, but it appears that he is loyal after all. For now, at least."  
  
"There's something else," Alexander said.  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
The young man folded his arms across the chest. "When I was done with Bashir and he was pretty much on the verge of death, babbling incoherent things, there was one moment in which I'm certain he was absolutely clear. One final moment to say something, if you want."  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
Alexander frowned. "He said, 'You still have no idea what you're really up against. The Terran Freedom Rebellion has just begun'."

 

_(Artwork by[Peti](http://petimetrek.tumblr.com))_


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